On a summer afternoon, after a sweat-drenched training session, the entire company silently lined up to pass the mess hall. Each soldier harbored a simple wish: to savor a bowl of cool, refreshing soup, to dispel the stifling heat of the scorching day.

Canh rau muống dầm sấu

Illustration photo: tuoitrethudo.vn

That day, when the lid of the large aluminum pot was lifted, a thin wisp of smoke drifted lazily like morning mist, carrying the delicate, sour scent of starfruit, mingled with the subtle aroma of boiled water spinach. A seemingly simple soup, water spinach with starfruit, yet it brought a sense of calm to my heart. I picked up a bowl, scooped two ladlefuls, and poured it over my white rice. The refreshing sourness of the crushed starfruit permeated each tender green leaf, flowing down my throat with a cool sensation, dispelling both the midday heat and my weariness. Simple, yet deeply moving.

Sitting in the dining room, the ceiling fan whirred, the clinking of spoons against bowls echoing in the familiar quiet space. Outside, the sun shone brightly, but my heart felt refreshed by a gentle wave of emotion. That simple bowl of soup wasn't a delicacy, yet it evoked a whole realm of memories within me.

I remember those summer afternoons of my childhood, when my mother would go to the backyard to pick water spinach, wash it, and then put it in a pot of boiling water with a few ripe starfruit. Every summer, the meal consisted of just a bowl of water spinach soup with starfruit, a bowl of pickled eggplant, and a small bowl of fermented crab paste with chili peppers – enough to make a delicious meal for the whole family. Back then, I didn't appreciate it. Only when I left home and enlisted in the army did I understand the value of those seemingly simple things.

At the unit, even the pickled water spinach soup was prepared with the skillful and dedicated hands of the cooks. In the sweltering heat of the kitchen fire, sweat dripping down, they diligently prepared the soup so that the soldiers could eat well and finish their rations. I silently gazed at the bowl of pickled water spinach soup, my heart filled with longing for my mother's thin figure, hunched over the straw stove, gently stirring the steaming pot of soup. I remembered my mother's nimble hands picking the vegetables, her voice whispering stories of the village as she worked.

Water spinach soup with pickled star fruit, a simple yet deeply meaningful dish, not only cools the hearts of soldiers amidst the sweltering heat but also serves as a bridge connecting those far from home to their loved ones and families. And I know that, in the future, no matter how many paths they take in the military, the taste of this water spinach soup with pickled star fruit will forever remain a sweet and unforgettable memory in the hearts of every young soldier.

According to the People's Army

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/canh-rau-muong-dam-sau-a423314.html